Tupac musical being developed for Broadway

'Hollar If Ya Hear Me' will be an 'unconditional love story', says producer

A musical based on Tupac Shakur is currently in development, according to reports.

The hip-hop-themed musical, titled Hollar If Ya Hear Me, is heading for Broadway and is being overseen by stage director Kenny Leon. According to the Wall Street Journal, Leon said the production would be an “unconditional love story” and would focus on an “anti-violence” message.

Leon, who said the show would be based on the rapper’s music but not his life story, said: “Some people look at hip-hop and they think they hate everything black or they think they hate everything that uses profanity, or they think it’s about gun violence. When you look at the lyrics of his music, he was always talking about universal things like honour, betrayal, family.”

The veteran stage director added that the musical had been workshopped three times and, although no actors had been cast yet, he was hunting for a theatre to give it a home.

Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996. In May of this year, his aunt became the first woman to be included on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list. She was convicted for the 1973 murder of US policeman Werner Foerster in 1977, but escaped from prison two years later and has been on the run for almost 35 years.

Last month, meanwhile, Wu Tang Clan members Masta Killa and Mathematics claimed that Tupac’s death changed hip-hop forever – click at the bottom of the page to watch them discuss his legacy and the impact of his murder.